1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a continuous washing apparatus suitable for use in continuously washing a large quantity of objects to be washed, such as dishes, fruits, potatoes or the like.
2. Description of Prior Art
In a conventional continuous washing apparatus for dishes, for example, it is a usual practice to arrange dishes on a travelling conveyor in an aligned manner before washing, and then to continuously eject washing water from upper and lower nozzles onto the dishes so as to wash them. Such a conventional apparatus is disadvantageous in that, washing effect is not satisfactory since the dishes are conveyed stationarily on the conveyor, that working environment is badly affected due to splash of the washing water, and that increased cost for maintenance is required due to repeated failure of the apparatus.
In order to overcome the above disadvantages, a various proposals have been made. One of the examples is disclosed in Japanese Patent Public Disclosure (KOKAI) No. 51-112565.
According to the apparatus in the Public Disclosure, objects to be washed, which have been supplied into the water vessel through a hopper, are conveyed by means of a screw which is rotatably driven by a motor, so as to be washed in a frame having bars. Dirty water or sewage is dissolved into the water in the water vessel through the bars of the frame, while the objects are conveyed along the inclination of the frame having bars and are dewatered when emerging from the water level and are consequently discharged continuously from a chute.
It is noted, however, that, in the above conventional continuous washing apparatus, if a large quantity of objects to be washed is supplied through the hopper, the screw is forced to convey a large quantity of objects at one time. Thus, such a conventional apparatus has disadvantages in that washing effect is decreased, that the objects tend to be damaged and that durability of the washing apparatus is lowered since the motor and the screw are subjected to a higher load.